Silfa - chapter eight

Resisting the impulse to run, Benny casually walked to the end of the alley and turned toward the town square.

(I shouldn'ta'greed so easily. He'll be suspicious and have me followed sure. I gotta get out of here and find Bob. I have feeling he won't be heading back here any time soon and I can't show my face after tonight anyhow. Not if I want it to stay pretty and breathing. This'll be tricky. Gotta go someplace where they won't follow but I can slip away and get out of town. Damn, I should have put up more of a fight; if they'd had to convince me he might have bought it.)

Benny picked up speed as he reached the square. He Stopped at a stall that sold pork, onions, and potatoes grilled on a mesquite skewer. Benny pulled out a tin piece and glanced around at the alley. He saw the two thugs walking quickly toward the square.

(Yep, figured. The game is afoot and I'm it.)
"I'll take one with extra pepper sauce, Sweetness... say are you new to the village?"
The blonde girl behind the counter blushed.
"It hasn't been that long since you've seen me has it uncle Benny?"
"Good gods! Is that you Lenna. I swear it was just last year you were still in diapers."
"You should stop by once in a while. Mom's always talking about you."
(Mmmmm, that's an idea.)
"I think I will. Is she there now?"
Lenna smiles. "You betcha!"
She takes a grilled kabob off the fire and wraps it in flat bread then pulls out the skewer and dowses it with a thick brown pepper sauce. Wraps it in paper and hands it to Benny then says "we'll see you later?"
"Hope so."
(But prolly not if I can work things out right.)

Benny walked across the square to the street where his sister lived and casually walked down to the last house on the right and knocked on the dark blue door.

"Who is it?"
"It's your brother Benny."
"No, really, who's there."
"C'mon, open up. It's me, Benny."
"I think my brother's dead 'cause I'm sure he would stopped by before this; living in the same village and all."
"That in't sumthin' to joke about Mary and if you don't open the door now it might get real serious fast."
The door jerked open and Benny was face to face with a woman in her mid thirties, a heart shaped face framed by dirty blonde curls. Her face registered some emotion between concern and anger... maybe conger.
"What trouble you got yerself into now? Should have known you'ld only be by when you need help."
"I kept meanin' to stop by. Now smile for the gorillas and let me in."
With a quick glance up the street taking in the two rather large fellows trying to look interested in the architecture of the house two building down, Mary smiled and ushered Benny through the doorway.
"Well, what have you been up to now that has two thugs like that on your tail."
"It's Jeremiah; I owe him a bit o' metal losing at his crooked games and now he wants me to kill Jack."
"The sheriff? I don't know who's crazier, him or you for getting involved with him in the first place."
"My money would be on me. He knows if Jack is murdered while he an his boys are in plain sight, no one could pin it on 'im."
"Speaking of money how much do you owe him?"
"5,000 aluminum."
Mary gasped. "You're really in it this time. There's no way we could get together that much coin."
"I know, I just hoped you could put together a pack for me. Some dried meat, some flour, and some water. Drop it out the back window after I leave and I'll pick it up on my way out of town."
"We won't be seeing you again will we."
"I'll try to send word when I land some place but it'll be too dangerous to ever come back here I think. Listen they'll ask you about me. I'm sorry I got you involved but if you tell them I came asking for money they'll believe you."
Mary hugged Benny, "be careful and good luck. Don't worry about us, Mark has enough connections to protect us."
"Say, Lenna is grow'n up to be as pretty as her Mom."
Mary blushed and kissed Benny. "No need to butter me up, I already said I'd do all I can. Now get on with ya'."
Benny walked out the door and scanned up and down the street.

(No sign of the bottom feeders but I'm sure they're not far. Prolly one on each end of the street.)
Benny had only got a few yards into the square when he heard a shrill whistle coming from the street he had just exited. He didn't need to turn around to know that he was being followed again. Soon he was back to where Marissa was still standing under the shade of the of the large elm that grew near the spring near the center of the square.
"Mar, I need to talk to you up in your room."
Marissa smiled. "Benny you know you only get so many free 'talks' no matter how much I like ya. A girl's got to make a living ya' know."
Benny took Marissa by the arm and led her towards her doorway. "I'm in some trouble with Jeremiah and I got to get out of town quick. Ya' think ya could help me pull a quick one on 'em?"
"Jeremiah eh? You're playin' with a rattler there love... You betcha, I'd love ta stick it to that brastak."
"At's my girl." Climbing the stairs to Marissa's room Benny continued. "I'll need to duck out yer emergency route. Jeremiah's thugs ever been up here?"
"Naw, he's got his own girls. Would want his men giving business to the competition."
They entered a thick gray oak door near the end of a dark hall.
""You're the best Mar. I'm goin ta' really miss you. Just give me a few minutes head start before ya' go back outside."
Benny touched a panel that looked like every other panel in the room and it swung open to reveal a dark stairway leading down.
"Don't worry Benny, I'll keep them out as long as I can and Benny... you were always my favorite."
"I bet you say that to all the boys." Smiling Benny ducked into the opening and started down the stairs.
"Matter of fact I do." Marissa said to herself then started moaning softly.
Benny pushed out of a hidden door in the rear of the building and started heading through the brush back towards his sisters house when he heard Marissa moaning louder now.
(Damn, she's a convincing actress... Maybe I'm not as good as I thought I was.)
Soon he was at the back of Mary's house. He picked up the nap sack that was laying there and headed out towards the river.
(I can see where Bob crashed through the bushes here and went into the river but there's no tracks on tha other side. I'm guessing he headed downstream.)
Benny headed out to where the current was strongest and paddled along with the current for several minutes until he saw the smoking remnants of a cook fire on the opposite bank. He emerged from the water still holding the pack over his head to keep it dry.
(Well, he wasn't here too long ago, this fire's still smoldering. Better put it out good before someone else figures out where 'e had breakfast.)
Benny was dowsing the embers of the fire when he heard voices coming from up stream. Sprinting into the underbrush along the obvious trail that Bob had left he glanced back towards the river to see if anyone noticed him just as he crashed into Bob, pinning him to the ground.

--- Jerry